Malanga, Gerard

3 Poems for Benedetta Barzini

New York, NY: Angel Hair, 1967. Limited First Edition. Stapled Wrappers. “I am thinking about Benedetta” is the title of this / Poem, although the feeling of leather on flesh is exquisite / And the tight blue jeans are found soaking / Wet on the grass. But he can’t get you / Out of his mind in the facial / Expression that tells you so. / […] / Nothing will come but nothing will go empty / Handed as the young girl with dark hair stands / Knee-high in water / Wearing a white bathing suit / With a white organdy blazer / Opened to one side” (from “Second Fame,” p. 1). A large-format letterpress chapbook of poems by Gerard Malanga (b. 1943), the esteemed & pioneering poet, critic & performance artist. The chapbook is a sort of short history in verse orbiting around Gerard's relationship with Italian actress-&-model, Benedetta Barzini (b. 1943), perhaps the woman Malanga wrote most lovingly of. An elusive Gerard Malanga-related collectible. From the collection of Richard Cupidi (b. 1945), our esteemed mate in the UK who managed the fabled Unicorn Bookshop in Brighton, England with Bill Butler (1934-1977, the famed American-expatriate bookseller & publisher). From the late 1960s through the early 1970s, Unicorn proffered & published many outstanding productions by William S. Burroughs, J.G. Ballard et al., some of which have become the scarcest, all-but-unobtainable Beat-&-Beyond collectibles (see for example our item no.s 8217, 8366). After prevailing against censorious harassment efforts, Unicorn closed & Butler died in short order. Cupidi went on to found the Public House Bookshop in Brighton, which had a long & successful run but is also now closed, & he still resides there. We have been honored to obtain what Cupidi has termed "The Last Hurrah," all the remaining treasures of Unicorn & Public House, including this gem. Large-format pamphlet in wraps: First Edition, “Printed in an edition of 500 copies / by The Chapel Press, Williamson, / Massachusetts.” In Very Good condition with moderate-to-enunciated shelf-wear, some light bumping, a few instances of slightly more pronounced bump-creasing to fine-edges & corners of front, back covers & spine-edge; general horizontal, as well as vertical use-&-storage -based creasing to/at/along fine-edges of same, particularly along right & topmost fine-edges of front cover, with slightly less enunciated, correspondent exhibits of same at back cover along leftmost & bottommost fine-edges; some rubbing & generally mild age-toning present, variously throughout; lone leaf separation (pp. 1-2) at interior; otherwise generally clean. Very Good. [Item #8884]

Price: $100.00